TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning are disappointed, though not discouraged. Despite being swept in the first round of the NHL playoffs, the young team led by Steven Stamkos has plenty of reasons to feel encouraged about the future. One year after struggling to the 28th-best record in the league, the Lightning finished second in the Atlantic Division and posted the third-best mark in the Eastern Conference. The Montreal Canadiens eliminated them from the post-season in four games, but coach Jon Cooper said none of his players should hang their heads because the Lightning had a successful season. "Its been a transition year for us in an unbelievably positive way," said Cooper, whos completing his first full season behind the bench. "I dont want this series to be looked at as they were a failure," Cooper added. "Those guys got swept in the first round, but they had a heck of a year." Stamkos missed 45 games because of a broken right leg but still amassed 25 goals and 40 points in 37 games to help Tampa Bay return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011. The 24-year-old captain has scored more goals than any NHL player since the start of the 2009-10 season. His absence from early November to just before a late-season trade sent Martin St. Louis to the New York Rangers created unexpected opportunities for several young players who helped the team stay afloat while Stamkos was out. Goaltender Ben Bishop set a franchise record with 37 victories before a left elbow injury sidelined him for the final week of the regular season and the playoffs. Rookie Ondrej Palate led the team with 59 points and another first-year player, Tyler Johnson, set a club record for rookies with 24 goals. In all, Tampa Bays rookies combined for 201 points, more than twice as many for first-year players from any other team. "Its been well documented what this team has gone through this year," Cooper said, adding that few people gave the Lightning much of a shot at making the playoffs when the season began. Stamkos said its important young players learn from their post-season experience. The Lightning dropped the first two games to the Canadiens at home and didnt feel they played their best hockey until the third period of Game 4 in Montreal on Tuesday night. "Everyones probably feeling a little embarrassed. But in the long run, you probably had to go through something like this," Stamkos said. "I think we will learn," the captain added, "that sacrifice, determination and work ethic is what wins at this time of year." Ryan Callahan, the former Rangers captain obtained in the deal that sent an unhappy St. Louis to New York, agreed. "This means nothing if as a group (the Lightning) doesnt realize how hard the playoffs are and how consistent you have to be moving forward," Callahan said. "Its a waste if you dont learn from it." Eight rookies made their playoff debut in Game 1, while another key player -- goalie Anders Lindback, standing in for Bishop -- entered the series with just 13 minutes of post-season experience. Six first-year players notched their first playoff points in the opener, won by the Canadiens 5-4 in overtime. The next step is returning next season and proving this years success wasnt a fluke. "The amount of youth that we have here is very promising," Stamkos said. "We want to be a perennial playoff team. This is a start." Cheap Boston Bruins Jerseys . Bibeau, Torontos sixth-round pick at No. 172 overall in last years draft, was named the outstanding goaltender of the 2014 MasterCard Memorial Cup. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . Sterling was banned for life and fined US$2.5 million by the NBA on Tuesday for racist comments the league says he made in a recorded conversation. Nash, who plays for the rival L.A. Lakers, spoke as a representative of current NBA players at a press conference assembled by Sacramento mayor and National Basketball Players Association adviser Kevin Johnson. http://www.cheapbruinsjerseys.com/ . -- Canada played to expectation up until halftime. Cheap Adidas Bruins Jerseys . So true. It is one thing to create a winning football team, and another to keep it winning. Each and every week it changes. The NFL creates a unique interest of not who is "the best", but much more who is "the best this week". Cheap Bruins Jerseys China . CSKA received the heavier punishment of playing its next European home game behind closed doors, after its supporters displayed racist and far-right symbols in the Czech Republic during a 2-1 loss to Viktoria Plzen on Dec.DB: Do you have a favourite Doug Gilmour memory?Clark: Not really one in particular, its more of an ongoing memory of two and a half years playing together and what he brought to the teamDB: Favourite Wendel Clark memory?Gilmour: Theres so many. Im not sure if hell bring this one up, but it was the 87 Canada Cup. He got let go, he was a rookie going into his second year. He sat beside Hawerchuk, Kirk Muller and I during the exhibition part of it. And somebody signed on his pants, "Best wishes Wendel!" signed Claude Lemieux. (smiles, points to himself and laughs).(Buffalo Sabres Nation)DB: How long did it take after the Kings series to no longer be mad at this face?Clark: Actually it was more fans than players. I mean, that was game 6, everyone talks about the call and were moving on to the rest of the game and the next game. Were not as aware as the fans who are more in tune because they wouldve seen all the replays over and over and over where we were in the moment so it wasnt as big a moment for us guys as it is the fans.Gilmour: Well, I didnt see it that way. How the rules were at the time, if he didnt see it, which he didnt, the linesman had to call it and they wouldve given Gretzky 5 minutes and the game. And that wasnt going to happen in the old Forum, it wouldve been a riot. Unfortunately, the linesman should have helped him out and said he saw it and at least give him a 2 minute penalty.DB: Does that happen for a lot of moments from your career Wendel, people always ask you about them, but its not the same for you?Clark: Pretty much all the moments! Were in the middle of doing it, where fans get to watch it and get redone over and over and over.(Vintageleafs.blogspot.com)DB: Bill Berg, never seemed to do anything to agitate anyone during the game, but by the end of the game there were always multiple guys trying to rip his head off. What was this guy doing behind the scenes to piss the other team off so much?Clark: Well he was doing it on purpose Ill you that much (laughs). But Bergy was part of our checking line with him and Ozzy and Peter Zezel. And they were in the face of the other teams best players. They were antagonists and the best part about that line was how good they were defensively and how much they got under the skin of the other teams best players. And they all had some skill that they could be dangerous offensively and get some chances.Gilmour: Bill Berg! One of the best lines that Pat Burns ever said about him, "I wouldnt know him if I ran over him with my truck." (Laughs) Well, there were 2 guys on that line, Mark Osbourne was kind of the same, Mark was, um, dirty. And Billy was in your face all the time, hed be chirping at you from behind. Hed really get under the skin of all the playersDB: Which actor would best play Doug Gilmour in a movie?Clark: Oh I dont know, I dont know enough actors (laughs).DB: Would it be John Stamos?Clark: (Laughs) Nah, I think hes tougher than that.DB:Which actor would best play Wendel Clark in a movie?Gilmour: It would have to be a western so, maybe Kurt Russel or something.DB: We said John Stamos for you. Gilmour: (Laughs) Better than Peewee Herman.DB: The Leafs went paintballing recently for some team bonding, did you guys do team bonding events back when you played or is this a new thing?Clark: No these bonding events have been going on forever. The only bad part now is the media wants to be a part of it.Gilmour: Well, obviously there wasnt a lot of paintball at the time, but yeah we did a lot of different bonding things. And one we did up in Orangeville was a lot of fun, one year in training camp. A lot of us would go out to the Legion and everyone has to buy a round, so everyone enjoyed those moments. DB: Who would piss off Pat Burns more?Clark: Probably me, as far as I made more mistakes (laughs). So, Burnsy was probably pissed off at me more times.Gilmour: Probably me, just because of practical jokes.DB: What was a classic practical joke you liked to do on the rookies?Gilmour: There were so many different things back in the day. In those days we used wooden sticks, so I was always cutting somebodys stick, so when theyd take a slapshot theyd go face first. Id put little pieces of tape on the buttom of their skates so when they go on the ice, theyd go down. Nailing shoes to the bench, so after the game theyd try to grab there shoes, theyd be stuck to the bench. One time in Montreal I filled up one of those composite sticks with water before a game. I showed it to the owner, George Gillett, and said "Look at tthese sticks, theyre heavy, and not only that theyre warped, take a look at it! So, he lifts the stick upside down to see if the stick is warped and all the water poured out onto him.dddddddddddd And Im just about to go on for a game and hes got about 10 clients there with him. He just laughed, it was awesome.DB: Who was better with the ladies?Clark: Oh well Dougie had better hair than I did.Gilmour: Wendel.DB: Who was more likely to be seen out on the town the night before a game?Clark: None of us, we were always in by curfew (winks and smiles).Gilmour: Wendel.DB: Game 7 against the Blues. Did you rifle the shot off CuJos mask on purpose?Clark: Nooo, that was just a crooked shot. The score I think was already 5 or 6 nothing. DB: Have you ever talked to CuJo about that?Clark: No, like I said the fans talk and discuss more, where the players dont do as much of that.DB: The time you shattered the penalty box in Montreal. What was going through your head? Were you trying to contain your smile?Gilmour: This was our last game, we were going to get beat at that point in time. I think it was 5-2 or 6-2 and not a lot of time left, so I put my head down because I knew I wasnt getting out of there. So, I tried to play it like what just happened? But you see, I didnt really slam it that hard it was just a freak accident and obviously because of it I got another 10 minutes. But what made it worse is that I had to go sit in the other penalty box while they were cleaning the glass out (laughs).DB: Wendel, Youre here discussing the results of a recent Canadian Tire and Scotiabank survey that shows community hockey is more beloved than ever and why families should get involved in our nations favourite sport. Growing up, who was someone from your hockey community that really helped you become the player you went on to become?Clark: I think all the players that we watched ahead of us and our parents and coaches. And all the veterans that you play with and thats how you learn.DB: I believe youre still a coach in your community as well, is there a message that you always try to deliver to young players about playing the game and making it at the top level?Clark: Our biggest message is playing the game for fun. Make sure youre having fun out there because at a kids level youre not playing for work, youre doing it for fun. And if the kid is fortunate enough to have enough skill theyll gradually move to the next levels and become players. But in the big picture, most players arent going to make it, so fun is the thing that the players can get out of it. And thats the great thing with Scotiabank and Canadian Tire is being apart of the team stuff, being involved in hockey, what they get to learn from the game. The togetherness, the teamwork, the hard work, how they interact, its really our culture. You have winter 12 months of the year in some parts of Canada so the game is as part of our lives more so now than it ever has been.DB: Doug, Shoeless Joes Hometeam advantage program, Im going to give you three looks that you need to rank first to third as to which outfit project youd refresh.Gilmour: Already know what one is gonna be. Is it that Calgary picture that they made me put that scarf on? Yup, knew it. That was a nice look.Gilmour: More me was the leather jacket and jeans. DB: And last place goes to scarf?Gilmour: Ya think? (laughs)DB: Can you still go BarDown?Clark: Hopefully with the sticks and the technology I can still get the puck off the ice.Gilmour: Oh of course! Cmon!?…… But I use a tennis ball now (laughs).(I sat down with Wendel Clark and Doug Gilmour separately for these interviews)Dougieball is Doug Gilmours Annual Celebrity Fundraiser and takes place on Wednesday October 15 at The Ballroom! It raises funds and prevention awareness for Diabetes that is a disease all too close to him, with his father passing away 2 years ago from Diabetes complications and his mother and brother also are living with Type 2.It is a big gala party with live bands, food and drink and a silent auction all for charity, there are also teams, each with a celebrity player that have raised funds and will compete in a bowling tournament at the beginning of night.There are a lot of great guys supporting Dougieball including Wendel Clark, Eric Lindros, and more.Tickets now on Sale at DougGilmour93.com Wendel is discussing the results of a recent Canadian Tire and Scotiabank survey that shows community hockey is more beloved than ever and why families should get involved in our nations favourite sport. 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